House GOP seeks cuts in food stamps

New independent estimates Monday night show that as many as 3.8 million people would lose their food stamp benefits in 2014 under a House Republican plan to tighten eligibility and end state waivers for able-bodied adults who are unemployed.

The Congressional Budget Office numbers paint a darker picture than the GOP has admitted to thus far. The contradictions – which continued to play out Monday afternoon — add to the tensions surrounding what is already a bitter fight over the nutrition title of the House farm bill.

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This week in Congress

According to the CBO, 1.7 million people would be forced off the rolls in the coming year if the state waivers are repealed as proposed by Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.). Another 2.1 million would be dropped in 2014 as a result of the tighter eligibility rules backed by the GOP.

In both cases, the impact would decline as the economy improves and more jobs become available. But on average, CBO estimates that a total of 2.8 million people would lose their benefits over the next decade, and another 850,000 households will see an average reduction of about $90 a month in benefits.

The net 10-year savings for the government would be approximately $39 billion, nearly double what was first recommended by the House Agriculture Committee in June and far in excess of what the full Senate has approved.

Nonetheless, Cantor has been the driving force behind the 109-page substitute nutrition tile — even at the risk of the larger farm bill. The whole legislative process is quite extraordinary with the Virginian operating as almost a committee of one.

Agriculture Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) retains jurisdiction and is listed as the sponsor on documents filed with the House Monday afternoon. But Cantor and his staff have dominated the preparation, and their work product will go to the House floor without ever being subject to any real legislative markup.

Toward this end, the House Rules Committee announced it will meet on the nutrition bill Wednesday in anticipation of votes by the end of the week. Whip counts suggest it will be a closely-fought contest given the strength of the Democratic opposition. And the severity of the cuts is also causing concern among rank-and-file Republicans with low-income rural communities in their districts.

Farm-state Republicans complain bitterly of being caught in the middle. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has delayed appointing House conferees on the farm bill until Cantor has had his shot. This makes it harder for Republicans from agriculture districts to go against the leader.

As filed Monday, the measure is titled the Nutrition Reform and Work Opportunity Act and is being billed as Welfare Reform 2.0.

The stated goal is to toughen existing work requirements for food stamps while also preserving the core program for the very poor. Cantor consulted with conservatives before crafting the package and the Heritage Foundation, with close ties to Cantor’s policy staff, is an important ally and influence.

Caught in the middle are states like Washington and New York which are already using federal funds to teach job skills to food stamp recipients but could lose millions in aid if they were to fail to comply with the new direction set by the bill.

Mothers with preschool children would face tougher work requirements. At the same time, the CBO score suggests that some of the most-contentious pilot programs in the package could end up adding to federal costs — not savings.

“Instead of appointing farm bill conferees, the Republican leadership has decided to move forward with an unnecessary and divisive nutrition bill,” said Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson, the ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture panel. “ Even if this bill is defeated, as it should be, I worry the debate will eliminate any remaining goodwill needed to pass a farm bill.

“The majority is again catering to the extremes of their party, pushing messaging bills to nowhere. It’s time to get serious. If they will just get out of our way, the House and Senate Agriculture Committees can work together and provide farmers, ranchers and consumers the certainty of a five-year farm bill.”